And yet, it's something that is rarely talked about in very public ways. It's something that's hidden and hushed. And since papercrafters are some of the most amazing people out there, some of you have agreed to make a card (or cards) to raise awareness for this issue. Throughout the hop, I'll be pointing to some of my other bloggy friends who've experienced DV. Together, we CAN make a powerful impact.

Speaking of amazingly awesome - ^^^ Do you SEE that graphic above?! These are all the incredible companies who've agreed to support this blog hop. 14 companies and over $500 in prizes! I can't thank them enough!

THE RULES (oh those pesky things...)

If you'd like to participate in the Hop to Stop, here's how it works:

1 - Make a card that FEATURES purple

2 - Link it up below before October 14, 12noon CST

3 - New creations only please, no backlinking allowed

4 - Provide a link back to the Hop! (it would be great if you put the badge in, too!)

5 - You MUST comment on at least the 3 entries before you to be eligible to win (be a good neighbor) buuuuuuut visiting the sponsor blogs/shops is HIGHLY encouraged. (hey - they are pretty generous and it would be great if we could thank them! There might even be an extra special top-secret prize in it for someone - wink* wink*)

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Whew, ok we got that out of the way. Now for my card. I'm making this for the Hop, as well as for the current challenge over at Eclectic Ellapu - For a Cause.

This card/this issue hits very close to home for me. You see... I am one of the 33%. Most people would never realize because it's not something I talk about very much. I'm only now realizing that in sharing our stories, we can heal and help.

So my message to those of you who've gone through domestic violence (or those of you who are experiencing it now) is this:

You may have felt alone in the dark...

THERE ARE OTHERS WHO SHARE YOUR STORY

YOU ARE NOT ALONE

And no matter how many tears you've cried

IT IS NOT YOUR FAULT

Though you feel damaged and torn

THERE IS HOPE AND LIFE

Though your heart is scraped and hidden

YOU ARE WORTHY OF REAL LOVE

Because you are AMAZING. And you are more beautiful than you could ever imagine.

Now... one last thing before the linkup (I know, I know... it's a long post. Some of you have asked if you could send your cards somewhere special, and so I've reached out to the Community Violence Intervention Center (CVIC) here in Grand Forks, ND. They are SO excited about the plan and said they could definitely use cards.

CVIC is a nonprofit that provides emergency shelter, legal advocacy, housing
assistance, and child and adult therapy for victims of physical and
sexual violence.

It's not mandatory, but if you want to send cards to CVIC, email me (bexcruger@gmail.com) and I'll give you my address.

Becca, your card is beautiful and I was touched by how you described it. This is such a worthy cause - thank you for organizing this hop! What an awesome list of generous sponsors! Thank you, sponsors! I thought I was going to be away all day but our trip got cancelled so I am here to link up my card after all. There are two cards before mine, so I will comment on those, as well as the one that links up after mine. Great post, Becca! My mother was a victim of domestic violence so this subject really hits home to me.

Sooooooo thoughtful and touched, how beautifully you described step by step and then converted it into the beauty of art work! So breathtaking!!!! Thanks to all the sponsors and will come back soon to play for this great cause!

Outstanding!! Love your use of purple and embossed background! So glad that you join the fun over Virginia’s View “All Things Colored” Challenge! I am so glad that you are doing/organizing this hop and it shows how far you have come! Way to go, girl!

Hi Becca, this cause in itself is the way you have shown the world how far you have come...this cause is precious and thanks for keeping this hop. The way you have sent out the message is touching and a great way to connect with people suffering right now or people who have suffered in the past. :) your card is superb...love it..! :)

Your post is amazing, Becca. Your strength and courage is inspirational. Bringing awareness to the statistics and hosting this blog hop is a credit to you. Thank you for letting me be part of the journey xx

Wow!! You said it so perfectly and letting your story be known, felt, and communicated is so inspiring! Loved your beautiful card as well! Am so happy that this is being addressed and given the spotlight in our crafting community and beyond!! Though I personally have not been abused, have worked with so many of these woman, and still do. Will be thrilled to participate! Thank you for doing this!

Wow...what a great hop for a great cause...this is a cause very dear to my heart...I have never been a victim but I sure have witnessed it...I think it is a very serious and important matter...Nobody should every have to go through this...Thanks a lot Becca for shedding light on it...Thanks a lot for doing this...The lines you have written (with the photos of the card in progress) are just beautiful...I am sure many people are gonna find strength reading them... Thanks again...

Fabulous card Becca, so sorry you have had this experience, there are many many people out there that don't get the help they need or they feel isolated, your words are so inspirational and will be a comfort to many. So this post has touched my heart also. I will be joining in the blog hop to show support.

What an amazing post Becca, written from the heart...so sorry you've experienced this DV but good that you are now in a place where you can talk about it. Love how you've told the story putting your card together, so poignant and the resulting card is fabulous. Well done to you for pulling this together and making us all more aware. Carol x

Yup. Go you. Brilliant cause. I'm even liking that it's purple for this one. Pretty poignant that colour when it comes to all sorts of bruising - both physical and emotional and spiritual....... not entering, cos I'm on a challenge free month. Due to a silly bet from some scrappy mates who reckoned I couldn't last a month!! HAH! I'm showing them. Day 3 and I'm not even jittery. Well....maybe a tad...but don't tell on me! Sending you an email, though....just to check your addy cos I know you moved recently.....!!!!

What an amazing post! You are so strong and brave and a beautiful soul - The first time I've heard of such a hop and having worked in counseling for many years, I can share this is an absolutely incredible awareness building blog hop! Thanks for sharing and I'll have a card up shortly

You have me in tears... Becca, you are a treasure trove of inspiration and creativity on so many levels. I am so sorry for all you endured and am proud of you for not only persevering, but triumphing with a flourish. Reaching out to help others will bring so much awareness and healing. (My words aren't coming out right and I apologize... you have me a teary mess.) Not only is your contribution to this hop incredibly designed, but your words and pictures of the process go straight from your heart to ours. Thank you for sharing this... and for sharing YOU. I will find a way to participate and will be back to leave love for others and the sponsors. There are so many linked up already... what a massive success already. Sending endless love and hugs your way.

Becca, I'm so sorry that your life has been touched by domestic violence (as has mine...but, like many others, I don't talk about it. It's in the past and now, I have a husband who treats me like royalty). Your support for this cause, your willingness to step up and share your experience, your desire to 'make a difference': heart warming and touching. Your card: beyond outstanding. I'm in awe...of your creativity and your courage! The stencil I used on my card: Memory Box Splatter -Spray stencil. It's fabulous: I can 'splatter' with control *grin*hugs~c

Becca, thank you for putting this together. You have inspired me to do so many things. I started writing a book five years ago and I know I need to get back to it. I praise you in all you do and I hope we stay in touch. I am so grateful that Amy pointed me in your direction. Thank you also for pushing me to doing more mixed media, it clearly gets me in touch with my own feelings and allows me to be free with what I do. Thank you, thank you thank you. You are beautiful and encouraging and I'm so proud of you.

Hello Becca, Thank you so much for sharing this worthy cause. I was touched with your post. Like the other ladies have said you are truely and inspiration and your work is amazing. It's not something I talk about easily but felt that I had to for this cause. So thank you.

i can't remember if i commented here yet or not, but...... wonderful cause and hop for awareness. my mom is struggling now not from physical abuse but from mental/verbal. trying to get her back on her feet. linked up and shared. :)

I love love LOVE this post and hop, Becca - not for what it stands for, but the message it can bring to someone who just might be looking and decide to take a stand against what's acceptable and right! Thank you for organizing this hop - what an incredible opportunity to bring awareness! I worked as a counselor for many years and it's absolutely mind boggling what people are capable of - I added a humble card to the hop and am blessed to have stumbled across your blog :) You've a got a friend here! Thank you so much for all of THIS :) ♥

Wooow Becca this hop is an amazing Ideaand you know I love purpleI made a shoe in purple cardHOW MANY CARD CAN I join with Becca?I love your heart texture and that sweet image and the tore edge and the distressedlove always your mixed and media cardgreat Post my sweet friendhugs, and happy sundayMonika

Whoa... so much to say: what a wonderful hop to include purple for awareness, how awesome to make it a hop to foster communication on creativity and this issue, and finally I have to say your card and symbolic process was just so touching... and awesome creatively. Here's to you!

Whoa... so much to say: what a wonderful hop to include purple for awareness, how awesome to make it a hop to foster communication on creativity and this issue, and finally I have to say your card and symbolic process was just so touching... and awesome creatively. Here's to you!

Thanks for organizing this wonderful event. I admire your strength and using horrific experiences from your past in a positive way to improve the future of people in similar situations. Thanks so much for including me on this hop!! ~ Meredith

Your card is absolutely amazing! The message is loud and clear and so glad you are bring this to the forefront!! I am so sorry you had DV experiences but here you are strong and ready to fight on others behalf. You are an enduring woman Dawn, persevering through probably the toughed times in your life. It takes courage and strength to stand up and say NO! And for that I praise you my friend!! Card is on the way..

Your introduction to your card was very touching…and your card and sentiment are beautiful. Thank you so much for putting together this hop and what an awesome list of sponsors…I will be visiting each and every one of them. Although our direct family has not been a victim of domestic violence it did come pretty close to home. So glad to join in such a worthy cause. I am adding my card and want to provide it to CVIC.

Congratulations on a successful challenge, Becca, and thank you for bringing attention to this worthwhile cause! You are over a hundred!! Bless you for your amazing soul!! Your post was so moving and so thoughtful!! Hugs, Darnell

Becca your hop has really touched my heart and made me recollect and relive things best forgotten but I applaud your spirit and courage and will be visiting as many ladies as I can and share as many purple cards as I canCheersDr Sonia

So many absolutely stunning creations! This is such a meaningful hop! So many of us have lived through domestic violence and I totally agree it is time to stop the violence! I have left each sponsor some love on their Facebook pages to thank them for sponsoring this hop! I have linked a card and left comments for at least 3 of my "neighbors". This is my first time around here and I look forward to many more! Thanks for having me along!

Thank you so much for sharing your story and for hosting this hop. Your post is unspeakably beautiful. Your courage and grace in letting your pain make a difference in the lives of others is awe-inspiring. Hugs to you.<3 J

Thank you for helping to publicize this cause and for sharing your story. I was able to put a couple of cards together with uplifting messages that I plan to donate to the women's shelter near my daughter's home. It is a small thing but my wish is that it gives hope to someone who needs it.

WOW - you should be SO PROUD at the success of your Blog Hop Becca!!!YOU should be CONGRATULATED, both for hosting this hop for such a great cause (THANK YOU) and for visiting all the blogs of the entries. I have been trying to comment through the gallery and I am IMPRESSED to see just how many you have already taken the time to visit and leave comments on - WELL DONE!!!

Your hop is a success and you should feel so very proud. Honestly I did not know there was public awareness and the color purple. Thank you for organizing the blog and recruiting your fellow card makers. God bless.

It is brave of you to put this together after what you have been through. I pray this will help many others as well. My MIL was a victim of domestic violence too. I have given thanks to as many of the sponsors as I could. What generous prizes! I have also sent out some love to some entrees. Everyone has done a beautiful job! Thank you for for this hop! Hugs!

It is so gratifying to see so much support for this issue! I am trying to visit everyone but I have been unable to leave comments on Instagram, Flickr, PhotoBucket, and the like. I did look at your beautiful cards though!

So honored to be able to post a couple of cards for this awesome cause. I am hoping to look at everyone's cards on Tuesday when I'm off work and hopefully rid of this awful headache that's been plaguing me the past 4 days.

Your card is absolutely gorgeous--love it! And the sentiment is so perfect! Thank you so much for the lovely comments you left on my blog. This is such an important issue and it's wonderful to see all the support and beautiful cards posted here

Thrilled to have been INSPIRED to create another purple card and share about The Hop To Stop :)I've been leaving comments along the way.Just thought that I would let you know that for entries #154 and #172, I couldn't leave a comment on the posts shared on Facebook but I did send them a personal message :)

WOW - what AN AMAZING PURPLE gallery!!!YOU should be SO PROUD Becca!!!This is such a SUCCESSFUL event and you have spread the word about this important cause ALL OVER THE WORLD!!!... hoping to keep working the purple, sharing with my friends and to be back again soon with another card :)

Hi, Becca, thank you for your kind comments on my blog. I just wanted to let you know that even though I am on a blog break I will continue my commenting here - it is important to me and I want to finish what I started. Keep the purple coming! I am so impressed with the support and participation in the hop - awesome job for this cause, Becca!

What an amazingly beautiful way to show your card process and so eloquently told message ....Your gorgeous card says it all Becca ..,Sorry to hear you had to go through DV ...but your brave soul shines through.I am so touched by your entire post.Will try to link up my card for this cause.Just hope I have time though.

You card is just beautiful- and I always love visuals for HOW cards go together! My dear friend volunteers at a Domestic Violence Shelter service here in Illinois- with our state budget cuts, we are really loosing many of the resources for agencies like this- so these types of events are fab for raising awareness!!! So sorry you had to endure DV, and hope that part of your journey is behind you, and that you are using the experience for a positive message! Bless you!

Your card is awesome-and how you explained the steps-wow! Thank you for organizing this. Thank you for being brave and putting it out there. It's so important and you are right-it gets hushed and pushed to the side. Thank you to the sponsors too.

Your card is stunning!! Thank you for hosting this amazing and eye-opening event and for sharing your personal experience with domestic violence. Like you, I am also a survivor, and it was a long, hard road to rediscover myself again after leaving my situation. I don't typically share my past personal struggles with others; but for this cause, I felt it was necessary. Once again, I THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart for helping to shed light on such a dark reality for many homes across our world. You are amazing!! <3

Becca you have touched so many all over the world with your initiative and I am happy that you decided to spread this message of hope and support !! Hope we all together can make a difference and change the mindset prevailing in the society towards DV in our own way !! your card is beautiful and so is your spirit , big hugs !!

Well, Becca, the hop has ended and I want to thank you for all you've done for this cause. I've been very passionate about it from the start and also wanted to visit everyone along the hop. I managed to see the remaining participants' cards today (except for the sites where I was not a member or blocked from seeing the content). Congratulations on a very successful hop - you definitely spread the word about domestic violence, and even I broke my silence. The subject was never discussed at my home growing up - it was like a dark family secret - I think Mom just wanted to put it behind her and move on. I continued my silence and never discussed it, even with my closest friends. Only a handful of people in my life were aware of what happened. Those sad memories were hard to think about and even harder to write about, but I'm glad I did; I feel a bit lighter. Anyway, I'm going on my blog break now! Big hugs and thanks for everything!

Thanks for stopping by my blog KT Fit Kitty and for sharing. It was such a worthy hop with such generous sponsors and I think it may open eyes to how prevalent domestic violence is. Thank you Becca for hosting.

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About Me

I love all things vintage and distressed, but also find beauty in the simplicity of clean lines. I'm inspired by the grungy, the hand-me-downs, the upcycled and so that's what you'll find most of my cards to be. But I do like to mix it up and create clean, humorous cards too! Crafting evolves with new techniques and the latest product. This blog speaks about me, a small-town girl with glitter on her fingers and a love of cardmaking in her heart.